Safety driving arrangement for twist vehicle

• US 20040108673A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jar Chen Wang
• Original Assignee: Jar Chen Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Jar Chen
• Granted Patent: US 6,860,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/87.01
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 17/00 Cycles not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 1/00 Rider propulsion of wheeled vehicles rider propulsion with additional source of power B62M6/00; propulsion by ground-engaging rods B62M29/02

Abstract

A twist vehicle includes a vehicle frame, a driving system, and a safety driving arrangement. The driving system includes a transmission member, having an upper portion connected to a steering member, rotatably supported by the vehicle frame. The safety driving arrangement includes a twisting member connected to a lower portion of the transmission member, a driving wheel assembly rotatably connected to two rear side portions of the twisting member, and a front stabilizing wheel rotatably and suspendedly supported at a front portion of the vehicle frame with a safety distance between the safety wheel assembly and the lower portion of said transmission member, so as to prevent the twist vehicle from flipping over when the twist vehicle is moving.

Claims

1. A twist vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle frame;

a rear wheel assembly rotatably mounted on a rear portion of said vehicle frame;

a driving system, which comprises;

a transmission member rotatably supported by said vehicle frame wherein said transmission member has a upper control portion positioned above said vehicle frame and a lower driving portion extended underneath said vehicle frame; and

a steering member which is connected to said control portion of said transmission member and arranged to drive said driving portion of said transmission member to rotate; and

a safety driving arrangement, which comprises;

a twisting member, having a predetermined shape, mounted on said driving portion of said transmission member;

two spaced apart driving wheels rotatably mounted to said twisting member and defining a driving distance between each said driving wheel and said driving portion of said transmission member;

in such a manner that when subsequent clockwise and anti-clockwise movements are imparted to said steering member, said two driving wheels are substantially moving forward, so as to drive said vehicle frame to move; and

a safety wheel assembly rotatably supported at a front portion of said vehicle frame with a safety distance between said safety wheel assembly and said driving portion of said transmission member, so as to prevent said twist vehicle from flipping over when said twist vehicle is moving.

2. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 1, wherein said twisting member, having a circular shaped, has a center hub connected to said driving portion of said transmission member so as to substantially increase a supporting area of said twisting member, wherein said two driving wheels are rotatably and spacedly mounted at a circumferential edge of said twisting member at a rear portion thereof so as to define said driving distance as a radius of said twisting member.

3. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 2, wherein said safety wheel assembly comprises a front stabilizing wheel rotatably mounted at a front portion of said circumferential edge of said twisting member at a position underneath said front portion of said vehicle frame, so as to define said safety distance as said radius of said twisting member.

4. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

5. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 2, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

6. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 3, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

7. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 1, wherein said twisting member comprises a central hub connected to said driving portion of said transmission member, two wheel shafts rearwardly and radially extended from said central hub to rotatably connect said driving wheels respectively so as to define said driving distance as a length of each of said wheel shafts, and a front wheel arm frontwardly and radially extended from said central hub to connect said safety wheel assembly so as to define said safety distance with a length of said front wheel arm.

8. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 7, wherein said wheel shafts are radially extended said the central hub to define an angle of at least 120°

between said two wheel shafts, so as to lengthen a base length between said driving wheels.

9. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 7, wherein said safety wheel assembly comprises two front stabilizing wheels spacedly mounted to a free end of said front wheel arm at a position underneath said front portion of said vehicle frame.

10. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 8, wherein said safety wheel assembly comprises two front stabilizing wheels spacedly mounted to a free end of said front wheel arm at a position underneath said front portion of said vehicle frame.

11. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 9, wherein said safety wheel assembly further comprises a wheel holder rotatably mounted to said free end of said front wheel arm and two wheel housings radially extended from said wheel holder to rotatably support said front stabilizing wheels respectively, in such a manner that said front stabilizing wheels are capable of turning with respect to said free end of said front wheel arm.

12. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 10, wherein said safety wheel assembly further comprises a wheel holder rotatably mounted to said free end of said front wheel arm and two wheel housings radially extended from said wheel holder to rotatably support said front stabilizing wheels respectively, in such a manner that said front stabilizing wheels are capable of turning with respect to said free end of said front wheel arm.

13. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 7, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

14. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 9, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

15. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 10, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

16. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 12, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

17. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 1, wherein said safety wheel assembly further comprises at least a front stabilizing wheel rotatably mounted to a bottom edge portion of said vehicle frame at said front portion thereof via a wheel holder, so as to maximize said safety distance by means of a size of said vehicle frame.

18. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 17, wherein said wheel holders, which is rotatably mounted to said bottom side edge portion of said vehicle frame, has a wheel housing extended from said wheel holder to rotatably support said front stabilizing wheels, in such a manner that said front stabilizing wheel is capable of turning with respect to said vehicle frame.

19. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 18, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.

20. The twist vehicle, as recited in claim 19, wherein said safety wheel assembly is suspendedly mounted at said twisting member in a freely rotatable manner, so as to minimize a friction of said front stabilizing wheel with respect to the ground while said twist vehicle is moving.